Forstall Out: Some Thoughts And Commentary
Mark Gurman reporting on the internal email Tim Cook sent out to Apple employees regarding the moumental changes that happened within Apple's executive division early this morning:
Today, I am announcing changes that will encourage even more collaboration between our world-class hardware, software and services teams at all levels of our company. As part of these changes, Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue, and Craig Federighi will be taking on more responsibilities. I am also announcing that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to me during the interim. I want to thank Scott for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.
This is one of the news that actually warrants the "BREAKING NEWS" label - it's huge and it will affect Apple. First of all, I think we should all stop acting surprised that we saw this coming. By this I mean Forstall and Browett basically forced out of Apple, not the increase of roles of of Ive, Cue and a few others executives. Browett's track record at Apple is nothing short of disgraceful. It was thoroughly peppered with controversies and bad PR decisions, something closer to Papermaster's short stay at Apple. A few months ago I said the following:
Instead of following the mass of people chorusing that this would've NEVER happened if Steve Jobs was still alive (although, admittedly, it never would), I've got something pretty bland to say: the guy is an idiot. He obviously doesn't understand or "get" the standards and values in which Apple was built upon. Overpopulate Apple with more of these kind of people and you'd get a Samsung.
Tim Cook did bring him in but like any other good executive, he realized that Browett was like a cancer spreading at Apple. Now that he's gone, everything is fine. Search is underway for a new Retail executive while Tim Cook acts as an interim.[1]
On the other hand, the reason for Forstall's ouster is slightly harder to determine although many of us should've seen this coming in the past few months - Apple Maps, of course, being the one of the biggest catalyst. Once prided by analysts and bloggers as Apple's next CEO right after the death of Steve Jobs, Forstall was in many ways a mini replica of Jobs' character. BusinessWeek did a feature whereby they covered the similarities in their piece, "Scott Forstall, the Sorcerer's Apprentince at Apple":
In many ways, Forstall is a mini-Steve. Heās a hard-driving manager who obsesses over every detail. He has Jobsās knack for translating technical, feature-set jargon into plain English. Heās known to have a taste for the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG, in silver, the same car Jobs drove, and even has a signature on-stage costume: black shoes, jeans, and a black zippered sweater. (He favors Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirts for normal days at the office.)
Maybe here is the problem. Steve Jobs had a really unconventional way of doing things - commanding people, limiting roles, etc - but he thing he sure as hell did was succeed - for the lack of a better word. He succeeded in almost everything he did - rebuilding Apple, laying out the blueprint for the iPad, iPhone and quite possibly everything Apple is selling up till now. But is Forstall succeeding too? Does his work at Apple really warrant him the right to act like Steve Jobs? I suspect the answer is no. While he is no doubt essential and crucial at Apple, his influence was probably waning. In addition to his reputation for not being easy to get along with, he was also possibly even more hated after the press brought an avalanche of negative light to Apple Maps, something that was under his direct control and responsibility. Just to you a sense of how much he alienated Apple, BusinessWeek wrote:
Some former associates of Forstall, none of whom would comment on the record for fear of alienating Apple, say he routinely takes credit for collaborative successes, deflects blame for mistakes, and is maddeningly political. They say he has such a fraught relationship with other members of the executive teamāincluding lead designer Jony Ive and Mac hardware chief Bob Mansfieldāthat they avoid meetings with him unless Tim Cook is present.
It's a clear possibility that Forstall's ego was writing checks his actions can't cash.Ā
John Gruber of Daring Fireball has got this to say:
Ā Forstall is not walking away; he was pushed. Potential factors that worked against Forstall: his design taste, engineering management, abrasive style, and the whole iOS 6 Maps thing. I also wonder how much Forstall was effectively protected by his close relationship with Steve Jobs āprotection which, obviously, no longer exists.
He is absolutely correct. When Steve Jobs was still alive, Steve would protect Forstall since he saw Forstall as a mini replica: a visionary who could lead. However, Forstall may have over-relied on Steve's protection and when Steve is gone, he would have to fend for himself. BusinessWeek wrote:
āHe was as close to Steve as anybody at the company,ā says Andy Miller, who headed Appleās fledgling iAd group before leaving the company this summer. āWhen he says stuff, people listen.ā
What about now that Steve is gone? Does people still listen as effectively especially after his reputation took a pretty hard hit with the controversies surrounding Apple after the new launch?Ā
To sum it up, Forstall was hard to work with, a hindrance to collaboration and hardly as popular as before. Apple also possibly wanted a few of the things on iOS that customers have been demanding for a long time; things like widgets, a new UI, a more effective notification center but Forstall refused to budge, thinking iOS is as great as it can be. That's a very likely possibility. If anything, I do believe that more radical changes will be coming to iOS in the next two versions or so. With Jony Ive at helm, I'm excited too see has Apple have in store for us in the near future.
Oh, quick question: where was Forstall at the Apple iPad mini special event where he technically would normally appear?
Ā [1] Quick thought: The paragraph notifying Apple's employees that Browett has been fired is at the end of the letter - almost like a postscript. Perhaps it just goes to show how loved he was at Apple.
Mark Gurman posted the following on Twitter a few minutes ago:
The past evidence lines up to either Ive or Forstall getting the last word on design. I think anyone would have made the decision Cook did.
Right on. We all know from Steve Jobs' biography that Ive is almost untouchable. Well, Forstall had to go.
Also, realize how this shift immediately buried many of Windows Phone and Android launch today? People paid scant attention to these newly announced products the moment Apple announced these changes, which just serves as a testament of how important and how much attention is paid to Apple these days.
Scott Forstall ā theĀ departing Apple executiveĀ who'd become the public face of iOS in his role as head of mobile software ā may have met his demise when he refused to put his name on theĀ apology letterĀ Apple released several weeks ago, a rare show of contrition from Cupertino when Ā Ā Ā its revamped (and Google-free) Maps productĀ fell short of expectationsĀ at the release of iOS 6.Ā The New York TimesĀ andĀ CNNMoneyĀ are both reporting the story this evening; we've heard similar from sources as well.
Forstall, who had been in charge of Maps, is said to have believed that the complaints over data quality were overblown ā a belief so strong that he ultimately refused to sign the letter apologizing for the debacle (the letter released to the public ended up bearing CEO Tim Cook's signature instead).
Seems likely, given the ego Forstall has. It's never a good idea to put the blame on your boss when you're clearly the one who screwed up.
